A Brother Gone Missing
by Fists of Feury
Summary: Chapter 2: It's the day after Ed's disappearance and Al goes to the market for groceries. He stumbles upon a man, who holds something that may give a clue to his whereabouts.
1. Chapter 1

**No Ordinary Day**

Al bent down to admire the cluster of lilies growing parallel to the river bank. This is the place that, many times before, he sought as a safe haven after he and Ed got into a fight. He gave a big sigh and picked some of the lilies. It had been three days since Ed had been missing and during that time Al was trying to find a way to cope with his absence. Sometimes Al would train vigorously to pass the time by while he pondered about Ed's disappearance. He remembered the last time he saw him, like as if it were yesterday…

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"Hey, Al, hand me an apple, would ya?" Al picked up an apple from the basket on the table and tossed it. Ed snatched it with one hand and took a nice-sized bite out while leaning back in his chair.

"Man, I miss doing this all day; lying around, eating as much food as we want, couldn't ask for more," said Ed, who wore a rather content look on his face.

The Elric brothers were on a vacation, if you will, in their hometown Resembool. They decided to stay with the Rockbell's during this time off, since they had no where else to stay, after all. It was sundown on that day, and when Ed finished his apple him and Al went out by the house and sat under a giant oak tree. Both boy stretched out their limbs and placed their arms behind their heads in a leisurely posture. Ed gazed up and the spectrum of colors before him. Red, orange, pink, purple, a hint of blue, it reminded the both of them of the days the held most dear.

"It's was such a nice day today, why can't every day be like this?" said Al in a meek voice, continuing his gaze on the sky.

"Yea, I wish," Ed replied with a sarcastic tone, "If every day were like this, it would be a dream come true, I wouldn't have to deal with Colonel Sarcasm tracking my every move."

"Brother, you know he doesn't do it to make you mad-"

"Yea, right, I doubt that." Ed's face became tenser the more he thought about Mustang. They continued to lye under the oak tree for a good few hours until the sun finally set. Ed fell asleep against the trunk of the tree; Al was still wide awake. He couldn't help but think about what had happened long ago when they still lived there. But it was enough thinking for the day; it was time to get some rest. Al lifted up Ed and cradled him in his arms like a baby. He tip-toed in the house and up the stairs to the bedroom, so as to not wake the others. Al gently placed his brother on the bed next to his, after which he crawled into his own bed.

"Good night, brother," said Al. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander off to a better, more relaxing place. But his relaxation didn't last for long. The next morning he awoke on his back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling and half-shut, letting out a big yawn. Al tilted his head to the side to wish his brother a good morning.

"Good morning, br-…brother?" Next to him was an empty bed with tangled sheet, and something else. There was a trail of blood that ran from the mattress to the floor and out into the hallway. It continued though the house, down the stairs, into the kitchen, and stopped outside only inches away from the porch. Al's mind was cluttered with thoughts of a gruesome kidnapping, and a possible murder. It was too much to assume as of right then, maybe he got sick? Still, a trail of blood looked incredibly suspicious if it was merely an illness. At that point, Al's only thought was to find out where his brother was, or even, if he was still alive.

_**What do you think? Eerie, huh? Send in those reviews so I can continue my story!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**No Ordinary Day**

Winry and Aunt Pinako were alerted right away about Ed's disappearance. It seemed that Aunt Pinako's concern was more focused on cleaning up the bloody mess than coming up with a plan of action. Al tried everything possible to calm Winry down, but nothing seemed to be working. She was an emotional wreck and the trail of blood was imprinted in her mind, but she wasn't the only one. Al had trouble keeping calm with the reoccurring mental images of a vicious attack on Edward. Overwhelmed and upset, he grasped his head tightly with such a grip that seconds later cracked his helmet.

"No use in worrying yourself over it so much, you could crack your blood seal," Aunt Pinako pointed out. Al loosened the grip on his head and let his arms fall to his sides, taking a deep breath as he did this.

"But…what if Ed was killed?" said Al, beginning to choke up. It was difficult for him to come to that conclusion.

"Don't worry, Al, we'll find him, I promise," Winry said with assurance. Al let out a big sigh, then drew a transmutation circle near the area of damage on his helmet. With a flash of light his head was fixed.

"I'm going to go take a walk in town," announced Al.

"Could you pick up some groceries while you're there, Al?" asked Aunt Pinako.

"Sure, no problem." Al turned around and opened the front door and took a step outside, seeing more of the horror of the incident. He cringed, then turned his head away and walked off the porch, heading for the nearest market.

The inner town was always peaceful. The hillsides were covered in thick, green grass as far as the eye could see. It took Al's mind off of the situation long enough to make it to a cluster of merchants on a crowded street. There was so much to buy; Apples, potatoes, freshly cut salmon, flour, cinnamon, green tea, corn, and sugar. Al scanned the list and then streets to find each stand with the items he needed. The first item on the list was apples, so he found a vender who sold fruit, and at a very good price no less. He inspected each apple for any bruises or holes.

"I'll take two, please." The merchant took the apples and put them in a bag, rolled up the top and smiled kindly at him.

"Have a nice day there, kid."

"You too, sir-ah!" When Al went to turn to the opposite direction he bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" said Al, who looked down to find a strange man wearing a dark brown cloak. His hair, which was also brown, raggedy, and short, covered the left side of his face. He wore a perplexed look with a hint of terror, and for good reason; it wasn't every day that someone came across a seven-foot piece of talking armor. But this man had an unusual piece of jewelry around his neck. It was a blood-red gem that sparkled brilliantly in the light, on its end attached to string through a hole in the bottom was a down feather. Al looked more closely at the gem and to his surprise, saw the face of his brother, terrified and bloody with tears running down his eyes. Sounds of shrieking mixed with unfamiliar voices flooded Al's mind. Then spun round and round, faster and faster and grew louder with each second, piercing his ears and numbing his brain. As quickly as the voices came, they left.

"No, no, don't be sorry, it was my mistake…," said the man. He continued his path straight in the opposite direction of Al. Al stood still with his head down, trying to absorb what had just happened, but every time he tried it scared him more. The only thing he could do was continue his shopping.


End file.
